The Estonian prime minister, Kaja Kallas, is meeting the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, at Stenbock House in the Estonian capital Tallinn, as Zelensky embarks on a tour of the Baltic states; the press conference of the two leaders will be broadcast live by Estonian World.
The Ukrainian president began his Baltic tour in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius and flew to Tallinn late on 10 January, arriving on the Ukrainian presidential plane.
“Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are our reliable friends and principled partners. Today I arrived in Vilnius before going to Tallinn and Riga,” Zelensky wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Security, EU and NATO integration, cooperation on electronic warfare and drones, and further coordination of European assistance are on the agenda. But first and foremost, our gratitude. For the uncompromising support of Ukraine since 2014 and especially now, during Russia’s full-scale aggression,” the Ukrainian president added.
The Ukrainian president will meet his Estonian counterpart Alar Karis, the speaker of the country’s parliament, Lauri Hussar, and the prime minister Kaja Kallas. He will also address the Estonian parliament.
Kallas said in a statement that it was “an honour not only for her but for all Estonians” to welcome the Ukrainian president to Tallinn. “Estonia believes in Ukraine’s victory. We must support Ukraine as long as it is needed and as much as is necessary for Ukraine’s victory. These are crucial times and we must keep our focus. If we allow the aggressors to override international law and dictate the rules of the game, we will find ourselves in a much more dangerous world,” the Estonian prime minister said.
Estonia has given €1.2 billion to Ukraine
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale aggression in February, Estonia has supported Ukraine politically, economically and militarily – and provided the necessary humanitarian aid. Estonia also supports Ukraine’s integration into the EU and NATO.
Estonia’s financial assistance to Ukraine totals €1.2 billion, including €316 million in civilian aid and €900 million in military aid.
Volodymyr Zelensky is the sixth president of Ukraine since 2019. He was previously a comedian and actor. Born into a Ukrainian-Jewish family, Zelensky grew up in the Dnipropetrovsk region of central Ukraine and is a native Russian speaker.
Zelensky last visited Estonia in 2019.
See also: Pictures and video: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Estonia and our special blog on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
